Effects of Acupuncture at the Yintang and the Chengjiang Acupoints on Cardiac Arrhythmias and Neurocardiogenic Syncope in Emergency First Aid.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of YinTang and ChengJiang acupoints on patients with cardiac arrhythmia and neurocardiogenic syncope in emergency first aid. A 45 year old woman underwent acupuncture. She had a previous history of a valvuloplasty for rheumatic disease and two acute myocardial infarctions, followed by four catheterizations and an angioplasty. Needling of the YinTang acupoint and stimulation of the ChengJiang acupoint through acupressure were performed for 20 minutes soon after syncope and during tachycardia, hypertension, tachypnea, and precordial pain, without any effect on peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) or the glycemic index. Data were analyzed comparatively by using the following parameters at rest, during syncope, and at 1 minute and 10 minutes after an emergency acupuncture procedure: blood pressure; heart rate; SpO2; and respiratory rate. We found that acupuncture at YinTang and ChenJiang acupoints induced cardiovascular responses, increased the limits of the body's homeostasis, and normalized the patient's condition in the case of syncope. Acupuncture using a combination of ChengJiang and YinTang acupoints had an immediate effect on the autonomic nervous system and on maintaining homeostasis and energy balance in the body. Although this technique was effective, the patient was still referred to the Emergency Room.

The Effects of Acupuncture on Peripheral Facial Palsy Sequelae after 20 Years via Electromyography.

OBJECTIVE: This research used electromyography to evaluate the effects of acupuncture on facial palsy peripheral sequelae. METHODS: The 44-year-old woman who participated in this study presented sequelae resulting from 20 years of peripheral facial nerve palsy (FNP) on the right side and synkinesis in the left eye. In electromyography, the electrodes were positioned on the motor points over the orbicularis oris and the orbicularis oculi muscles to establish myofunctional feedback prior to and after rehabilitation, which consisted of 20-minute sessions of acupuncture once per week for 20 weeks: using manual stimulation at acupoints Yintang, LR3, GB21, CV17, ST2, ST3, ST6, ST7, GB2, and SI19; and Tou-Kuang-Min and ST4 using electrical stimulation with a 4-Hz pulsed current. The subjective pain intensities were recorded. RESULTS: The root-mean-square (RMS) electromyographic comparative analysis showed greater activation and recruitment of muscle fibers on the right side and a reduced overload on the left side, which promoted a functional evolution of movements and a positive response in the stomatognathic system. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture associated with electrical stimulation reversed the peripheral facial paralysis in a short time. Severe sequelae were minimized due to the balance of muscle activation in response to the electrical stimulation provided by the acupuncture needles.